The Oyre Effect: Part Three: Adherence
by mandomemory
Summary: When a fatal, contagious illness afflicts the clones of the Grand Army on a remote planet, they become ineffective against the Separatist droid army. With little other choice, the Republic hires the help of the Mandalorians... Inspired by RepComm series.
1. Chapter 1

Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. Characters belong to me. Do not use without permission.

**----------------------------**

**The Oyre Effect**

**Part Three: Adherence**

**Character Bios****:**

**-Vhe'dn Oyre (FAY-dn oh-YAY-er)**

**Age: 18**

**Height: 5' 2"**

**Sex: Female**

**Homeworld: Corellia**

**Current Residence: Coruscant**

**Species: Zabrak/Kiffar/Human**

**Affiliations: The Mandalorians, The Republic Grand Army**

**-Kotep Rylja (KOH-tehp RILL-shuh)**

**Age: 58**

**Height: 6' 7"**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Mandalore**

**Current Residence: Mandalore**

**Species: Kiffar**

**Affiliations: The Mandalorians**

**-Cajul Tor (cuh-JOOL TOHR)**

**Age: 20**

**Height: 5' 11"**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Mandalore**

**Current Residence: Mandalore**

**Species: Human**

**Affiliations: The Mandalorians**

**-Bez Kyrbe (BEHZ KEER-bay)**

**Age: 20**

**Height: 5' 6"**

**Sex: Female**

**Homeworld: Mandalore**

**Current Residence: Mandalore**

**Species: Human**

**Affiliations: The Mandalorians**

**-A-14, Ando (AN-doh)**

**Age: 12 years (physically 24)**

**Height: 6'**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Kamino**

**Species: Human Clone**

**Affiliations: The Republic Grand Army, The Mandalorians**

**Rank: Advanced Recon Commando Lieutenant**

**Status: Deployed**

**-A-70, Sevets (SEHV-ehts)**

**Age: 12 years (physically 24)**

**Height: 6'**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Kamino**

**Species: Human Clone**

**Affiliations: The Republic Grand Army**

**Rank: Advanced Recon Commando Commander**

**Status: Deployed**

**-CT-4/309, Damper (DAM-per)**

**Age: 12 years (physically 24)**

**Height: 6'**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Kamino**

**Species: Human Clone**

**Affiliations: The Republic Grand Army**

**Rank: Pilot**

**Status: Deployed**

**-CT-37/4006, Racin (ray-SEEN)**

**Age: 12 years (physically 24)**

**Height: 6'**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Kamino**

**Species: Human Clone**

**Affiliations: The Republic Grand Army**

**Rank: Private**

**Status: Injured in Action**

**-Kael-Shei Aa (KAYL-shay ah)**

**Age: 31 years**

**Height: 5' 10"**

**Sex: Male**

**Homeworld: Telos IV**

**Species: Echani/Human**

**Affiliations: The Republic Grand Army, The Jedi Order**

**Rank: Jedi Knight, GAR General**

**Status: Deployed**

**-Anon Ilia (AH-nuhn EE-lee-uh)**

**Age: 15 years**

**Height: 5' 5"**

**Sex: Female**

**Homeworld: Nar Shaddaa**

**Species: Zabrak**

**Affiliations: The Republic Grand Army, The Jedi Order**

**Rank: Jedi Padawan, GAR Commander**

**Status: Deployed**

**-Rooshi Xevlar (ROO-shee ZAYV-lahr)**

**Age: 28**

**Height: 5' 9"**

**Sex: Female**

**Homeworld: Coruscant**

**Current Residence: Coruscant**

**Species: Human**

**Affiliations: Republic Mobile Surgical Unit 6, The Republic Grand Army**

**-Other Characters:**

**Niluk Dur (NIH-luck DUHR), Male Sullustan, Jedi Master**

**Terab Sebaad (TAYR-ab seh-BAD), Male Barabel, Information Broker**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter One**

_The Clone Wars have been raging through the galaxy for two years... what started as a routine mission to destroy a Separatist listening post on a small, uninhabited moon has turned into chaos, as it is found that the clone troopers fall desperately ill when exposed to the minerals of the world... while there is no distinct reason why the Fett genome is so susceptible to the illness, there is also no known cure, and so the moon has become key; the Separatist goal is now to get the mineral off-planet for use elsewhere... as more Separatist troops arrive, a violent space battle takes place overhead between the two factions, and more Republic troops are sent to the surface to make sure the mineral does not have the chance to leave; thus, more fall sick... non-clone medics are brought in to care for the climbing numbers of injured and terminally ill as it is found to be contagious... as the Separatist listening post now becomes a base of operations, the Jedi and ARC troopers are brought in to oversee its destruction..._

"Sevets is getting ornery," Ando commented. "He just lost another platoon to the mineral shrapnel."

"_Ornery_ is one word to describe it," Aa murmured sarcastically. "I tried to talk to him earlier, and had I not been his general, he'd have probably laid me out; he certainly has a_ temper_."

Ando didn't tell Aa, but Sevets _had_ punched out a General once; under some very acceptable reasons, but it still didn't look or sound good. Ando paced around the strategy table. "Sir, aren't you suppose to be getting some rest while General Dur is at the lines?"

Aa smiled tiredly at him. "Yes; but I'm trying to get my stubborn Padawan to do the same. She's been working tirelessly trying to figure this disease out. She's convinced it's some form of bacteria; she says she can sense the life."

For an odd reason, Ando took pride in that; Anon was driven and focused, and though he hadn't admitted it to her, being she was his commander, he considered her something of a little sister. She always treated him with a general sense of equality, despite her rank; _idolized_ him, even. She was always eager to learn some new applicable medical procedure from him, so she could hone her healing skills.

"I'm partial to believing her," Aa continued, "but it's still not enough information to run on."

Ando nodded, retreating into his thoughts; it was easy to do with a helmet on, though he had to admit he was a bit sick of wearing it. The only time he was allowed to take it off was for gulping down meals and showering, otherwise, it was to be on and sealed; whatever the disease was, it was contagious and airborne, and it certainly made its way around the facility, despite attempts to quarantine the sick and dying.

The worst thing was that they weren't allowed to _leave_; once you set foot on the planet, you weren't going to leave until they found a cure. It was essentially a death trap, one that the reinforcements touching down knew they were facing. Even if you didn't show signs of the disease, you were trapped until further notice. Ando knew that was why Sevets was acting like a caged animal.

Even worse, the terrain was unbearable. It was the winter months on this planet, and the Separatists had set up on a snow-whipped tundra. The Republic's army was operating out of a mobile medical facility, comfortably sealed from the outside elements.

"How is Vhe'dn, Ando?"

Aa's voice and the mention of Vhe'dn jumped Ando out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat.

"Well, sir," he answered. "Recently wrote some new hacking codes she's very fond of."

Aa chuckled, then crossed his arms over his chest, thinking.

"Is she busy?" he asked suddenly.

Ando tilted his head to the side slightly. "Sir?"

"I've been thinking," Aa said. "We keep throwing troops at this base hoping that we'll bust through. The closer we get, the more they throw at us, and not to mention those fancy little mineral bombs the Separatists whipped up; very clever. We never get close enough without the troops being exposed to that blasted mineral. So why don't we send soldiers capable of resisting it?"

Ando was silent for a moment.

"Are you suggesting we put in an order for Mandalorian help, sir?" Ando asked.

Aa nodded. "Why not? The Seps do it."

"Well," Ando began, slightly alarmed at the prospect of Vhe'dn being thrown into such a dangerous battlefield, despite the thrill he felt at the idea of being able to see her, "I see you having a hard time convincing the Jedi that it's a good idea."

"I could convince them."

"General Dur won't be happy," Ando reminded him.

Ando wasn't sure if he liked General Niluk Dur very much, but he certainly wouldn't let onto that unless provoked. Dur was very goal oriented; sometimes all he saw was the end of the war, not the troops he was losing to it. Ando had no doubt Dur dealt with his hurt in his own private moments, but the disregard he portrayed on the surface didn't play well with him.

"Master Dur will forgive me," Aa said. "I know this is a good idea."

Ando stood silent. Aa glanced at him.

"If I get permission," Aa said slowly, "do you want me to commission Vhe'dn?"

Ando appreciated the gesture; he _did_ enjoy serving under General Aa, who seemed much more like a real person, and treated _him_ like one, too.

Ando thought; the idea of bringing Vhe'dn into this mess terrified him in a very primal way. The urge to protect was nearly overwhelming... but so was the urge to see her. He understood Vhe'dn was a very capable woman, but that didn't stop him from worrying about her. Was it right for him to condone bringing her into a war zone? Then a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him of how angry Vhe'dn would be if he had to tell her that he had a chance to see her, and didn't take it out of some fear for her safety. She'd take it as an insult, he knew.

"Will she be safe?" Ando asked.

Aa shook his head. "I won't lie to you; she probably won't be, but she _will_ be safer than any of you."

Ando paused for a moment.

"It's not my decision to make," Ando finally said softly. Yes, that was the right thing to say. "It's Vhe'dn's choice whether she wants to come or not."

Ando knew she would, though.

Aa nodded soberly, uncrossing his arms.

"All right, then; I'll contact the Council and ask for permission, then. Go get some rest, Lieutenant."

Ando went looking for Sevets instead.

**********

Sevets had a nervous tick when he was stationary, Ando knew; he would shift positions almost every twenty seconds, and could never remain sitting in one spot for more than one hundred and twenty; but the manic bustling, rearranging of datapad and flimsi-recorded intel wasn't something he usually resorted to. Like himself and all the other as-of-yet uninfected troopers, Sevets had his helmet on and sealed, but Ando could still tell he was in a bad place.

"If those papers get any more sorted, we may actually have reliable intel one of these days," Ando murmured sarcastically.

Sevets whipped his head around to glare at him; and Ando could_ tell_ he was glaring. Ando raised his hands by his helmet in mock surrender.

"General Aa is requesting Mandalorian help," Ando told him.

Sevets scoffed. "What, they think we're doing that shoddy of a job?"

"Chill, Sev," Ando said, flopping down into a chair and throwing his feet up onto the table. "You know full well that we're doing the best we can. It's_ smart_ to hire someone else in this case."

Ando casually steepled his fingers over his stomach.

Sevets didn't relax; he braced his hands on the table and leaned threateningly over him.

"You can just _relax_ like that?" Sevets hissed. "That platoon could very well have been under _your_ command."

Ando scowled, though Sevets couldn't see it.

"You think it doesn't hurt me, too?" Ando asked, irked. "I'm trying to keep my cool, because _someone_ around here has to."

Sevets pushed himself off the table in a huff, scrambling around, collecting more things to sort and leaf through.

"It's a_ bad_ situation, Ando," Sevets spoke. "A death trap."

"We've been in worse."

"_No_," Sevets snapped. "No, I don't think we _have_."

"Okay," Ando conceded, "then we'll _be_ in worse. This isn't the end, Sevets. They're sending someone who can do an autopsy, and then they can find out what this disease is and fix it."

"And if they can't?"

Ando grew impatient. "Well, do _you_ want to cut them open and find out what's wrong?"

"Oh, stop giving me your gab!" Sevets instructed vehemently. "I've got enough on my mind."

"Sevets, _what_ is wrong? You're acting crazy."

"Nothing," Sevets snapped.

Ando remained grudgingly silent for a moment. Sevets continued bustling. Ando exhaled loudly.

"This means I might get to see Vhe'dn," Ando murmured wistfully; he hadn't seen her in person in three months, since they had first confessed their love for each other. The prospect of finally being able to be around her without all the pretenses of remaining professionally distanced was thrilling.

Sevets scoffed.

"Oh yeah, a lot of good your little _sex buddy_ will do."

"_Sevets!"_ Ando cried, stunned.

Sevets exhaled hard in frustration, bringing a hand up to his helmet.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean that. I just... I just..."

Sevets swayed.

Ando narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Sevets, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"I don't - I don't fe..."

Sevets's knees suddenly buckled, and he collapsed hard to the floor, knocking his piles of flimsi from the table.

"_Sev?"_ Ando froze. _"Sev!"_

Ando tore from his chair and fell to his knees at his brother's side; he didn't respond.

_"Sevets!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Kael-Shei was thankful his reputation for being brash hadn't made it to the Temple's ears, because he felt it wasn't a very fair assessment of his character. Things tended not to get done if it was assumed that, as a Jedi, he made rash and selfish decisions; but was it really so selfish if he was deeming to be so in the place of someone who was hardly willing to be and deserved it?

Ando paced nervously around the communication center, oozing the feeling of being exorbitantly lost. Sevets had two hours ago fell desperately ill with the mineral disease, and, like the other troopers, had not awoken. The sick troopers were about two large steps from comatose, and after collapsing could die in as soon as a day. Some, however, had managed to stay alive far longer, still holding onto the tendrils of life; Kael-Shei could only hope Sevets would hold out, because his passing would affect far more than just himself.

Kael-Shei imputed Vhe'dn's comm codes he had retrieved from Ando and waited; permission from the Council had come easily enough, but he wanted to seal the deal before Master Dur could arrive back at the base; Kael-Shei knew he would protest.

When the little holo of Vhe'dn appeared on the logistics table, she crossed her arms over her chest in mock disappointment.

"Kael!" she admonished. "You never call!"

Kael-Shei smiled broadly at her. "I tried," he teased, "but you must have been out getting that haircut."

Vhe'dn's hair was considerably shorter than the last time he had seen her; she ran her hands through the tight curls that swirled close to her head.

"Ando's here, too," Kael-Shei said, and stepped slightly to the side to let Ando step into view with him. Vhe'dn smiled warmly and unashamedly blew the ARC a kiss.

"So," Vhe'dn said, "this an intervention, or did you have a reason for all calling me?

Kael-Shei rolled his eyes at her trademark sarcastic streak.

"Yes, actually, I have a job for you, if you're interested," he said.

Vhe'dn placed her hands on her generous hips. "You know I can't charge a friend."

"Can I assume you are already aware of our current situation?" Kael-Shei asked her, glancing over at Ando.

Vhe'dn nodded. "To an extent; how goes the infiltrating?"

"It's nonexistent," Kael-Shei explained, "and that's where I hope you can come into play; I've got a generous sum of the Republic's credits here for you if you can muster up a force of Mandalorians to come here and do our job for us; the clones can't get close enough without falling ill."

Vhe'dn's eyes seemed to light up just slightly as she realized what he was insinuating. She glanced over at Ando.

"The situation is that bad?" she asked instead.

Kael-Shei nodded grimly; he considered telling her about Sevets, then decided to leave it to Ando. "It's not good; we could fill the beds here within a few days."

Vhe'dn crossed her arms over her chest, thinking.

"So you want us to bust into this base," Vhe'dn said. "That seems to be a trend when I'm around you guys."

"Yes."

"I could probably find enough interest; can you send me what you've got on it?"

"Of course." Kael-Shei sent the information.

"How's that cure coming along?" Vhe'dn asked, trying to mask her concern with an objective tone.

"Not well," Ando finally spoke up; he sounded haggard.

"What he means is _not yet_," Kael-Shei assured them both. "Our first goal is to end this battle so no more can contract it."

Vhe'dn nodded. "How many Jedi we got?"

"Me, my Padawan, and Jedi Master Niluk Dur," he answered.

Vhe'dn seemed to be staring at the blueprints he had sent her.

"Yeah, I can get a posse together; not like I'd refuse a paid vacation to see the boyfriend," Vhe'dn said with a smirk. "You get to meet _Ba'buir_, Ando. Send me the coordinates, Kael, we'll be there; Coruscant was getting boring anyways."

Kael-Shei did so, including the briefing information. He smiled lightly at her.

"I'll see you soon, Vhe'dn," he said. "I'll leave you and the_ lieutenant_ to wrap things up."

The last thing Kael-Shei heard before he left the room was Ando begin to quietly confide in Vhe'dn his worry for Sevets.

**********

If Damper had thought flying gunship evac was boring, he'd obviously never experienced being the designated infected go-between; supplies needed to get down to the quarantined planet _somehow_. Damper longed to be in the space battle overhead where he could be useful, but, he'd of course set down before the disease had been discovered, so he was again stuck in a state of relative inaction. It was HQ's fault if he did snooping he wasn't supposed to; they shouldn't have accidentally lost him to such a boring and deadly post.

The female nurses were interesting enough to talk to, but they spent most of their time cooped up where he wasn't allowed, due to health reasons. Damper had very nearly had a conniption when he had found out Ando was still allowed in those areas because _he was a gifted medic_; as if having Vhe'dn wasn't enough already.

Damper sat with a small group of clones, playing sabacc. He enjoyed being center of attention, and cards was an easy way to get that; he'd surely be a rich man at this point in his life had his companions any salaries to bet.

"Pure Sabacc," Damper said, laying down his cards for everyone to see. "I win again."

The group groaned.

"Damper, if you were as good at flying as you are at cards, you wouldn't be stuck down here," his opponent, Blend, teased.

Damper rewarded him a hand gesture testament to his annoyance. The group laughed.

"Don't rub me the wrong way," Damper warned in jest. "You know how I like to gossip. Now, pay up."

Jek, standing behind Blend, grinned. "Should have gotten it in writing; ever played an ARC? I hear_ they_ get paid."

Damper raised an eyebrow. "And they say _I_ gossip."

"Too bad, though," another one said. "ARCs are supposed to be real sticklers; you'll never get them to play."

Damper bristled inwardly; they obviously had no idea who his brothers were to be talking about them like that. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah; not team players. Full of themselves, really, I hear."

Damper leaned his chair backwards, balancing it precariously on two legs.

"Yeah," Damper said, unamused. "That's what they all say, huh?"

"You hear about Commander Sevets?" someone piped in instead. "They say he keeled over last night."

Damper heard the news like a punch to the gut; he jerked.

"_What?!"_ Damper flailed as he suddenly lost balance and his chair fell backwards. Two troopers reached out to grab his arms about halfway through his descent, hauling him back to his feet. Damper slammed his hands onto the table, leaning over.

"_What did you say?"_ he demanded.

The trooper looked at him as though his strong reaction was not expected.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Commander Sevets came down hard with the disease. Knocked him straight o-"

Damper didn't wait to hear the end; he went tearing full tilt for the medical wing.

Rooshi Xevlar, the head doctor of the facility, was exiting the quarantined wing when he finally came barreling around the corner. She looked up and saw him, then immediately back stepped and stretched her arms across the entrance to block him. He skidded to a halt in front of her, struggling to duck around her.

"_No_, Damper," Rooshi stated assertively, impatiently, and as though she'd already had the argument a thousands times with him; she _had_, of course.

"_No!_ No, Rooshi, I actually have a reason to be down here this time!" Damper pleaded, trying to get past her.

Rooshi kept her arms outstretched, moving around to block him from getting through. "_No_, Damper, I don't care what the reason is this time, even if it's a good one, you're not allowed in here; and what are you doing without a helmet on? It's n-"

Damper pressed his lips together into a thin line of impatience.

Rooshi trailed off. Her eyebrows slowly came down into a warning glare.

"Don't - you - _dare_," she stated, very serious.

He did; Damper bent and grabbed her around the waist, throwing her bodily over his shoulder. Rooshi shrieked; Damper walked straight through the doorway.

"Damper, _what_ are you doing?" she shouted, pounding her fists uselessly on his backplates. She tried to kick, but he held her legs securely to his chest. She let out a loud, angry noise of frustration. "_Damper!"_

"Apologies, ma'am," he said nonchalantly, scanning the beds as he passed them at a quick pace.

Rooshi continued to protest loudly her discomfort. They began to pass other nurses, who gasped at the scene; Damper wasn't sure if it was because he was hauling their head doctor through the ward, or because of the expletives that were streaming from her mouth; Damper wasn't aware she was capable of such unkind words.

"-stop ignoring me!" she screamed.

They finally passed a male nurse who felt the need to impose himself upon the situation; he didn't look at all amused as he placed himself in front of his path.

"Trooper, I'm going to have to ask y-"

Damper just shifted and bent slightly, setting Rooshi down and sending her stumbling into the man to keep from falling, slowing them both as he moved past.

"Damper!" Rooshi charged after him as she steadied, pushing herself roughly out of the nurse's arms. "Damper, st-!"

She ran straight into him as he came to a sudden halt in front of a bed. He walked up to it, staring down at the man in it.

Rooshi panted, trying to compose herself. "_Damper_, you need to get out of here, you're exposing yourself t..."

She suddenly trailed off as she seemed to notice who he was looking at.

Damper stared down at Sevets lying in the medical bed; he knew it was him even without looking at the number on the patient slot. He felt his chest fill with a slow dread as he looked at the light purple rings that had formed around his brother's eyes. His lips parted slightly.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no..._

Rooshi stepped up next to him, presence suddenly much softer. He turned his head slightly; he didn't want her to see the fear on his face.

"We're doing everything we can for him," she said quietly, her sympathy very real.

Damper felt a sharp stab in his chest; he nearly flinched. When someone said that, however much they wanted to make you feel better... it always meant everything wasn't okay, however unintended.

They always said that.

Damper took a few, shallow breaths to calm his rising panic, then finally turned his head to look at her; the lights were dimmed, but he could still make out the lines of her face; he was almost angry at himself for still noticing how stunningly pretty she was, despite his worry for his brother.

"He... when...?"

"Last night," Rooshi answered gently. "I know you're worried, Damper, but you really can't be in here..."

He nodded, staring hard down at Sevets's face. He was so... still; like he couldn't be roused.

"Damper?" Rooshi prodded softly.

She jumped him out of his thoughts and he took a sharp breath, back pacing away from the bed and making his way straight for the exit. He made his way out of the ward and didn't stop. Someone suddenly grabbed his arm; he paused, turning to see Rooshi staring at him, her arm outstretched, holding him captive.

"He'll be okay," she assured him gently.

He wanted to believe her bright, calming eyes; but he knew they all said _that_, too. He nodded anyways, then looked at the floor, finally unable to hide the fear. She stuck her face under his, forcing his eyes to flick to hers. She nodded with a small smile.

"He'll be okay," she repeated.

He didn't know whether to believe her or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Should be arriving at Tetroth in a few hours," Cajul announced, walking back into the main hold of the ship and leaning against the entry frame.

Kotep Rylja nodded at him and then went back to watching Ben and Bez; he hadn't seen his granddaughter in about six months, since she had first moved to Coruscant for schooling. As he watched her work, he felt an acute sense of nostalgia as he observed how very different she was compared to when she had come home to Mandalore those months ago with stories of the Grand Army, the clones, and the very pivotal ARC trooper, Ando.

He could sense her very apparent shift in personality, sensibilities, and loyalties. Ben was... calmer; focused; driven, but also softer in a way he couldn't explain other than for the reason they were hurtling through hyperspace towards Tetroth for: her boyfriend, the very same ARC trooper from the catastrophe seven months ago. Kotep had been able to tell the moment he had first seen Ben again the influence the man had had over her, and not just to her personality, but to the path she was taking in life. Ben tended to leave a big impression on the people she chose to be around, and Kotep knew she wouldn't rest until the men in this slave army who she held close were free; he didn't know whether to be scared or happy of how similar to her father she was turning out to be. Kotep's late daughter Saviin's former husband had been an influential, persistent man; until Saviin's death. He'd since been wandering the galaxy, shirking any sort of familial responsibilities that reminded him of the tragic occurrence. He was still a good man, but a lost one.

Ben put on a strong face over the whole situation, despite her father being a scoundrel, her mother deceased, and her younger sister leaving home and the Mandalorian life. It made Kotep's heart ache sometimes, the way she preferred to be in charge of everything in her life, piling everyone's issues onto her shoulders. She'd bailed her father out of loads of _osik_ more than once over the years, and she was a mere eighteen years old. She never showed anything but contentment and optimism, but Kotep always had to wonder when she was going to break. One could only pile so many people onto their shoulders before they were too weak to help them anymore; he'd told her that. He also knew that she was extremely prideful; he would never force his support on her, but had made it known that he was always there to be that for her should she ever choose to accept it. Ben had seemed to insist on being a loner, which was part of the reason Kotep was so happy that she had found Ando; he only wished that... the situation was better.

"_Kandosii_," Ben said with a grin. "Here, Bez, this piece is just welded onto this part... right."

Ben and Bez sat across from each other at the table, modifying Ben's false fingers. The scene made Kotep slightly queasy with a gnawing anger that was telling him to hurt whoever had taken them from her... but he had been assured the barve was already dead. Ben, being ever resourceful and pragmatic, had had the two appendages replaced with slicing tools, sealed invisibly beneath the synthflesh. It was undetectable material, and the tools had been designed specifically by Ben and built by Bez, the resident mechanic. They were finishing up the modifications.

"Nice," Ben said, and screwed the tips back onto her fingers. She flexed her hand, and it looked as natural as ever. "Should be set for breaking out of prisons now."

"Just don't plan for it," Cajul said, and pushed himself off the wall. He placed a chaste kiss on Bez's cheek as he walked past towards the bunk rooms, probably off to get his armor.

Bez stretched and began to wrap her tools back up; she wiped her hand on a rag and then ran her fingers through her short blonde hair.

"I'm pretty excited to meet this boy," Bez admitted, referring to Ando. "I've got to see for myself if he's Fett."

"He's not Fett, and he's hardly a _boy_," Ben said simply, leaning back and pulling out her datapad; she always seemed to act protectively when the mention of Ando's heritage came up. "Just looks like him."

"Either way," Bez said, standing.

Ben tapped on the 'pad, distracted; Kotep could tell she was getting jittery as they got closer to Tetroth. She hadn't seen Ando for months due to the war. Finally, Kotep spoke.

"How about you show me again how that new solar recharger works on my rifle?" Kotep said. Ben looked up at the mention of her invention. "Tech's all well and good, but I'm not ready to ditch a clip."

Ben grinned, her father's grin.

"Sure, _Ba'buir_," she said, getting up. "You can trust it, though. If there's enough light on the planet to support life, it'll pick it up, no matter how cloudy or dark."

Ben explained to him with enthusiasm the mechanisms. She could have been on Mandalore, furthering technologies and designing high-tech weapon systems; she would have been brilliant. But she instead spent her time chasing after and caring for mistreated men in a slave army loyal to the Republic. Was he disappointed?

He'd never been more proud.

**********

It was three days after Kael-Shei had contacted Vhe'dn about coming to Tetroth, and she would finally be arriving later in the day; Ando was both terrified and practically jumping with a thrilled energy to see her. Sevets's current state loomed over everything he felt and did; it kept him level, focused.

As planned, Ando went to see Racin in the medical ward before he left for the front lines; he was asleep, however, so he just stood there for a while, thinking. Racin was a very key clone trooper to this entire mess for one simple reason: he'd retained consciousness. He was sleeping now, and he slept _a lot_, but... he'd wake up. He could hardly sit up, hardly lift his arms, certainly couldn't stand, but for some reason yet to be discovered, he had retained consciousness. He was the only trooper yet to do so, and there had to be a reason, some immunity.

Racin was now the best chance Ando had of ensuring Sevets's survival, and, however much it guilted him to admit it, it suddenly made the whole situation much more personal and thus more important to him; Ando had a hard time seeing it any other way these days. Selfishness had seemed a luxury only months ago; now he seemed to have little trouble with wanting things for his own benefit, or the benefit of those he held close. He figured it was Vhe'dn's influence.

He caught sight of Rooshi Xevlar, the head doctor of the facility, a young, dark skinned woman with startlingly mint-green eyes and textured black hair. She was an intelligent, busy woman who took the time to be compassionate and human toward the clones, an acknowledgment Ando respected. Rooshi saw him standing by Racin's bed and waved; she approached.

"Afternoon, Lieutenant," she greeted him in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way; he knew she thought all the titles were ridiculous.

"Ma'am," he nodded, playing along; Ando liked Rooshi the way people of a similar profession seemed to have an understanding of each other. They had grounds of shared emotional strain, as both had spent much of the past week tending to injured or sick soldiers. Ando was eager to learn anything she could teach him about nonmilitary medical application; he tried to suppress the fact that he knew he wanted to know because... well... he was finding himself unwillingly planning for life outside the army. He couldn't help it. A lot of what he did these days seemed to consist of planning what he was going to do after the war; he wasn't sure if he was okay with that or not, because it felt too close to betrayal some days, or defection, and yet if he _didn't_ do it, and the war _did_ end, and he was no longer of use to it, he didn't want to be of no use to Vhe'dn, either. He felt like he owed competence to her.

Rooshi's expression was sympathetic; she had a very kind face. "I saw Sevets."

Ando just nodded. He wasn't about to let onto the fact that,_ if_ he wanted to, he could have cooped himself up in the silence of his helmet and bawled his eyes out over the issue and no one would be the wiser; accordingly, he even_ more_ certainly would not let onto the fact that he _had_, however briefly. He hadn't had much time to break down over the issue anyways; Damper had promptly found him and attacked him for not telling him immediately that Sevets had contracted the disease.

Rooshi stared hard at him, her bright eyes offset intensely by the darkness of her skin. "We'll find a way to fix this."

"I know," Ando said. He was still afraid, though; afraid of how long that would take. "I still feel a bit guilty about... how I see things now; like it's suddenly more important."

Rooshi looked at him curiously.

"You have an odd view of selfishness, Ando," she assured him softly. "You're one of the most humble people I know."

"The Republic is hiring non-clones to come in and set things right here," he said instead, temporarily pushing the trouble from his mind.

Rooshi looked surprised. "Mercenaries?"

"Sort of," Ando explained. "Mandalorians."

He waited for her protest; he got it.

She scowled. "_Mandalorians?_ Moral-lacking killers for the highest bidder? It's people like them who get me jobs like this."

Ando was suddenly acutely aware of how his views and loyalties had grown since the beginning of the war; he found himself growing protective. It was quite likely he'd consider _himself_ a Mandalorian someday, after he understood the culture more fully and the war had ended.

"They all have different values and morals, just like us," he explained patiently. "I view them like clones; everyone thinks they're all the same, but... they're not. Just like every other species."

Ando knew the last argument would affect her; maybe he was learning more from Vhe'dn than he thought about persuasion. He knew the clone army had left an impression on Rooshi.

Rooshi softened for a moment, then seemed to consider something.

"Yes, but Mandalorian is a culture, a lifestyle; you couldn't help but be born into what you are," she reasoned.

"Perhaps," Ando conceded, "but are they not born into the Mandalorians also?"

Rooshi nodded. "I still don't like them."

Ando smiled, amused. "Have you ever met any?"

"No."

"I have."

"On the battlefield, though," Rooshi said.

"Well... yes."

Rooshi's smile was decidedly lopsided. "Point."

Ando grudgingly commended her verbal cornering with a scowl; she laughed, and he was happy to have taken some of the stress off her taxed mind.

"Regardless," he said, "they're coming; should be here later today."

Rooshi nodded, crossing her arms over her chest, seemingly evaluating the concept.

"Hopefully they'll just come, do the job and leave, and let this facility alone," she decided, uncrossing her arms and pacing forward to sit in the chair by Racin's bedside.

Ando smiled softly to himself. "I have a feeling they'll be spending a lot of time here."

Rooshi didn't look up. "We can only hope you're wrong."

Ando chuckled. Rooshi looked up at him and gave him a curious expression.

"What?"

"I've got someone I want you to meet," Ando said instead, pacing a few steps closer to look down at Racin.

"Oh?"

"Yes," Ando said, "but she's not here yet."

"She?" Ando could tell Rooshi was curious.

"Yes. You'll see," he told her.

They were silent for a moment, the dim lights of the room and the lack of conscious life around them feeling like it was closing in; Ando felt the discomforting pinpricks of doubt about the situation moments before Rooshi seemed to.

She broke the silence.

"Ando, how did you get your scars?"

Ando's instinct was to reach up and feel the just slightly smoother and indented scar tissue on his face, but was swiftly reminded of the confinement of his helmet.

"Mission about seven standard months ago," he summarized. "I took an accelerated pipe to the face; split the skin real good."

Rooshi cringed slightly.

"Is that why it's a circle?"

"Yes," Ando confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I had someone to take care of me, though."

Rooshi gave him a warm smile. "Your brothers?"

"No," Ando said, feeling a bit coy. "That person you're going to meet."

"She sounds fascinating," Rooshi said, standing and bustling around the room.

Ando bowed his head, ready to leave.

"Damper came to visit me again," Rooshi murmured.

Ando let out a hiss and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Damper can be rather... forward," Ando apologized, wondering what he had done now.

Rooshi looked over her shoulder at him.

"Not what I meant," Rooshi explained, walking over to Racin and laying a tray down on his stomach. "I mean he's not supposed to be in here; it's dangerous."

"Damper generally goes where he pleases," Ando sighed. "I can tell him not to when I get back, though."

Rooshi blinked at him. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Ando lied, "standard reconnaissance."

Rooshi nodded. "I just don't want him getting sick, and I never have the heart to kick him out."

"It's tough love sometimes for him," Ando laughed. "He prefers to learn by making the same mistake three times, hoping that by the fourth the benefits outweigh the risks."

Rooshi grimaced.

"He's going to get himself killed," she said.

Ando shrugged. "It's worked for him so far; he'd be decorated in any other army for some of the stunts he's pulled off in a ship."

"Recklessness has never impressed me, only given me a _job_; tell him that," Rooshi said, unconvinced. "He only has to screw up once."

"Well, that's why there are people like you," Ando said with a smile, even though she couldn't see his face behind his helmet.

Rooshi smiled at him fondly, her severity suddenly fleeting. She sat next to Racin again.

"Well," she conceded, "I'll see you when you get back, all right? Don't be gone too long, you're a huge help."

Ando nodded, then moved in the direction of the exit, intent on visiting Sevets for a moment before he left.

"I should be back by tonight," he said. "Be nice to the Mandalorians when they arrive for me, huh?"

Rooshi scoffed, and he smiled to himself.

He left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Rooshi wasn't usually keen to indulgence, even less so when her job implied taking care of terminally ill clone soldiers in a war zone, but she always felt a little guilty when it came time to tend to her model patient, a trooper affectionately nicknamed Racin by Ando. Rooshi tried to tell herself that she so looked forward to visiting him not because he was fascinating company, but because he was the only victim of the disease who had managed to have, at this point, remained conscious. He was extremely promising.

Rooshi smiled as she approached his bedside; he had his back propped up with pillows, watching her.

"How's my favorite patient feeling today?" she asked him as she sat down on the chair permanently stationed at his side.

Racin gave her a small smile. "Nauseous, ma'am."

Rooshi looked at him sympathetically as she rummaged through her bag of supplies. "I'm sorry."

Racin shrugged. "It's better than the alternative."

Always so positive; Rooshi didn't know how he kept such a strong face up.

"I could up your dosage," Rooshi offered, indicating the IV in his arm.

Racin shook his head.

"I start to panic when I get drowsy," he explained; he glanced down the row of unconscious troopers before he could stop himself.

Ambushed by pity, Rooshi reached over and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Keep heart," she told him, and pulled the divider behind her closed so he couldn't look at the other troopers. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve; it appears _you_ do, too."

He stared at her hand affectionately for a moment, then moved his to scrub his hair, a streaked, dark grey tone; Racin had suffered the effects of a chemical spill early on in the war, and the viewable damage had stayed with him; his skin and hair from about mid-chest up was bleached shades lighter than the rest of his kin. Thankfully, his complexion was the only thing it had affected, and, just perhaps, his resistance to whatever it was that was destroying the other troopers.

Rooshi began to rummage through her supplies again.

"Do you mind if I take a blood sample?" she asked him.

Racin just stared politely back at her. "I don't really think it's my place to refuse you, ma'am."

Sometimes his compliancy was frustrating, but only because Rooshi figured it was because he'd never been given choices before, only orders.

"You know," she drawled, teasing him, "all I need is a yes or no."

Racin, if it was possible, visibly paled.

"Apologies, ma'am," he said, voice expressionless. He looked away. "_Yes_."

Rooshi exhaled; he seemed to have such a hard time with sarcasm. Sometimes it was refreshing, and other times burdensome.

"I'm joking, Racin," she explained with a small smile. "I'm just giving you a hard time; it's what friends do."

Racin stared at her with a curious expression on his face, and Rooshi suddenly wondered if she regretted her statement. Above all, she was a doctor, and these were her patients who at any time she could lose. Attachments were... risky at best and heart breaking at worst, and this was no ordinary soldier, either. He was a mostly vulnerable, overly-polite, cloistered young man aging at twice the normal rate of a human who had no civil rights to be seen. Should he recover to fight another day, Rooshi would probably never see him again.

"And what did I tell you about calling me '_ma'am_'?" she teased anyway; compassion never hurt anyone.

It merited a sheepish smile from Racin.

"To not to."

"Right," Rooshi reminded him with a grin.

She pulled a syringe from her bag of supplies.

"This shouldn't hurt too much."

As she began to draw blood, she saw the Padawan, Anon Ilia, approaching her. She greeted her, then pulled the syringe from Racin's arm.

"Done."

Racin tried to push himself more upright as Anon came to a stop on the other side of him. Rooshi placed a hand on his arm to stop him, and Anon raised her hands, palms out in a _don't move_ gesture.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can be at ease when I approach, Racin?" Anon teased, moving to play with her bright red topknot. "Spending your energy only makes my job harder, besides."

Racin smiled weakly as he settled back against the pillows. He wasn't very talkative today, seemingly drained; that worried Rooshi slightly, but there was nothing she could do about it. She pushed it from her mind and smiled brightly at the young healer.

"Anon! Where is my assistant?" she joked.

"The lines," Anon stated simply, not sounding happy about it.

Rooshi shared her sentiments. She began to arrange things in her bag.

"Foolish," Rooshi grumbled. "Ando's too good of a medic to be used that way."

"Well, unfortunately, he's also a good motivator, and with Sevets sick, the job fell on him," Anon explained.

Rooshi knew how fond the young woman was of Ando, who had fallen into the impromptu position of older brother sometime before this deployment. Rooshi could see why; Ando was an infectiously optimistic man with an easy smile and cool head; it always felt reassuring to be in his presence.

Anon pulled up a chair and settled in for a healing session; Rooshi had all her faith on an actual medicinal cure, but Anon was convinced she could eventually isolate what it was that was hurting these troopers. If it was a bacteria like the Padawan thought, then she said she could find it and kill it with the Force. Rooshi didn't pretend to know much about the Jedi, but it didn't sound like something they would normally talk about so candidly or consider doing so nonchalantly, even if it _was_ just miniscule, harmful life. War changed everyone, it seemed, and ends verified the means.

Rooshi squeezed Racin's hand and moved to leave. "I'll let you and Anon alone."

Racin looked for a moment disappointed, as though he was about to ask her to stay, but thought better of it. He was incurably docile.

"All right."

"I'll be back later," she said, and left for her room; she had calculations to take care of and blood samples to prepare for when the pathologist arrived. The distraction her curiosity and fondness for the men in this clone army caused was something she needed to learn to set aside. She had a job.

**********

"Kael."

Vhe'dn ran down the ship's ramp and gave the man a hug; she hadn't seen him in three months. The hanger doors slid shut above them, cutting off the cold and snow. Kael-Shei pulled back and smiled.

"Good to see you, Vhe'dn," he said, then looked past her, over her shoulder at her companions coming down the ramp.

Vhe'dn turned and held her arm out towards them.

"This is my grandfather, Kotep Rylja, and my friends Bez Kyrbe and Cajul Tor," Vhe'dn introduced them.

They were all suited up in their armor with suede-textured jackets and fur-lined throws covering the bulk of the plates, investments against getting snow stuck in inconvenient crevasses. Despite, they still looked like a threatening and formidable force, their helmets tucked under their arms and various weapons and tools slung across their backs and fronts. Kael-Shei had to crane his neck to look Kotep in the face as he came up beside her.

"Well, you certainly didn't get your height from _his_ side of the family," Kael-Shei murmured, a coy smile on his face.

Kotep laughed.

"Confident little bugger," Kotep said with a smirk, offering him a hand. "We'll get along fine."

Confident, indeed; Kotep had an overwhelming physical presence at six foot seven and a wide frame, dark skin and a strong face. His long, dark dreadlocks were pulled into a pony at the base of his neck, and a green tattoo stripe ran across his nose, testament to his Kiffar heritage. He looked like he could rip your arm off if he wanted to. Fortunately for Kael-Shei, he was an extremely friendly, laid-back man.

Kael-Shei nodded, then held his arm out in indication to follow him.

"My name is Kael-Shei Aa. Welcome to paradise, ladies and gentlemen; let me show you to your quarters."

Kael-Shei turned and began to lead them away. Vhe'dn glanced at Bez, who kissed her fingertips and pointed to the Jedi. Vhe'dn giggled; Cajul scowled, so Bez just smirked and pushed a short, copper dreadlock from his face and took hold of his arm.

As they entered into the main facility, they began to draw stares from the troopers they passed; they all had their helmets on and sealed, but Vhe'dn knew from experience how to tell when a visored face was watching you. She stared around eagerly, knowing exactly who she was looking for.

"Kael," she said softly, moving closer to him, "where's Ando?"

"He's at the lines right now, at the entrance to the base," Kael-Shei explained quietly. "I told him he could stay at the facility to be here when you arrived, but he seemed to think he owed it to Sevets to take over his responsibilities."

However endearing it was, Vhe'dn still felt a little fearful at the idea of him being in the brunt of the battle.

"He should be back in a few hours," Kael-Shei assured her.

Vhe'dn nodded, trying not to be disappointed.

"Vhe'dn!"

Vhe'dn turned at the sound of her name, staring around for where it had come from. She caught site of a trooper running towards them; they had their helmet on like everyone else.

"...Damper?" she said slowly, a grin spreading across her face.

"Of course, ma'am!" he said brightly as he came to a stop in front of her. He placed a hand over his chest, wounded. "You don't recognize me?"

He pulled his helmet off. Kael-Shei cleared his throat, but Damper chose to pretend not to hear it.

"Of course I do," she said, tugging on her ear. She turned and nodded to the group. "This is my grandfather, Kotep."

Damper's eyes widened slightly as he looked up at the man.

"Fierfek, Vhe, do I owe you money or something?" he whispered. "Are you _trying_ to shake me down?"

She laughed, and Kotep smiled.

"He's just like you, Ben," Kotep murmured, offering Damper a hand as he had to Kael-Shei. "Mouthy."

Damper grinned at him, shaking his hand. "That means you like me, right?"

"Just don't make me change my mind," Kotep said.

"These are my friends, Cajul and Bez," Vhe'dn said, then looked at the group. "You guys can go on without me. I'll catch up, okay?"

They nodded and moved on without protest.

"_Helmet_, Damper," Kael-Shei instructed firmly as they left.

Damper waited for them to leave, then turned his attention to her.

"You heard about Sevets?" he said.

Vhe'dn nodded soberly. "Yes. I'm sorry."

Damper nodded once, then seemed to forcibly push the issue out of his mind.

"Ando's not here right now, but I told him I'd take care of you until he got back," Damper explained.

Vhe'dn grinned. "What'd he think about that?"

Damper flashed her a disarming smile. "He threatened to castrate me."

Vhe'dn laughed, then dug in her pocket for something.

"Yeah, that's for you," Vhe'dn said, placing a small hoop earring in his hand, lined with startlingly large crystals, assuredly expensive.

"A stud for a stud," Vhe'dn joked with a saucy smile.

Damper rewarded her with a wide grin.

"Gabby, you shouldn't have!"

"Damper, if I didn't do everything I shouldn't..."

He laughed, genuinely happy.

"_Gabby?"_ she asked.

Damper nodded. "It seemed to suit your mouth."

"It suits _your_ mouth."

"Good thing I thought of it first, then, huh?"

Vhe'dn smirked, then pointed at the earring in his palm. "I figure the tooth could look trashy in the wrong company, so I solved your problem."

"Yeah," he said, staring at the trinket, nodding as if coming to a conclusion, then hugged her around the shoulders with one arm, "you can stay."

Vhe'dn laughed, shoving him off.

"So, where's the medical ward?" she asked.

Damper had taken the tooth earring out, and was putting the new one in.

"I'd take you there, but Rooshi would claim I was _haranguing her_," Damper murmured, unconvinced.

"She a doctor here?"

"Yeah."

Vhe'dn smirked. "She pretty?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. The ward is in the west wing. You can go visit Sevets if you want."

Vhe'dn nodded, then went to move away. She turned and smiled.

"Earring suits you," she said. Damper grinned and reached up to feel it.

Vhe'dn was met with minimal resistance when she went to visit Sevets. The nurses flashed her a lot of dirty glances, but had been instructed by Kael-Shei to let the Mandalorians go where they please, much to the distress of the other Jedi, Dur, or so she'd been told. Sevets looked terrible; he was sweating, and the purple rings around his eyes made him looked bruised and... dead, but she didn't want to think of it. There was no expression on his face to betray the pain he was in; he was out hard. She reached out to wipe the moisture from his forehead.

"When we're done here," she whispered, "I'll do whatever I can to find this cure."

She squeezed his shoulder fondly, then left. She spent some time with Kotep, Bez, and Cajul, but soon grew restless waiting for Ando to arrive back at the base, especially when the time slot came and went. The worry gnawed at her, not to mention how they were waiting for him to plan the next stage. She stood outside the doors in the cold, the snow whipping around her.

Eventually, Kael-Shei came up behind her, bare-armed as usual. She wasn't very susceptible to the cold, but Kael-Shei seemed _immune_.

"It's been quite a while," Vhe'dn said, eyes still scanning the horizon. It was hard to tell where the land and sky met, the sky was such a light shade of grey. Wind whipped up snow from the ground, adding to the near whiteout. Her breath formed a fog in front of her eyes.

"Ando's a capable man," Kael-Shei said good-naturedly, his voice calming. Vhe'dn felt herself become instantly more at ease. He must have been using some Jedi trick on her; she bristled.

"Don't you go using the Force on me, Kael," Vhe'dn said, turning to him. "You can't fool me."

Something like humor lit Kael-Shei's face as she looked at him, which confused her.

"Vhe'dn, I would never try something like that on you; your will is too strong for me to break anyways."

Flattery. _Hmph._

"Right," Vhe'dn said, and turned back to the horizon.

Kael-Shei stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. He gave a light squeeze.

"He'll be fine," Kael-Shei said with a small smile.

Again, she felt her mind ease of its tension. She nearly turned to berate him again when she suddenly realized that he hadn't put any Force behind those words, or the other ones. He didn't need to; he was naturally reassuring.

"I know, Kael," Vhe'dn sighed. She placed her hand over his on her shoulder and squeezed, then moved it off and began to walk back to the base.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"To find Damper," she said.

It was only a small lie. She really _was_ going to find Damper. He'd know where the speeders were.

_Then_ she'd go to Ando.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"_Move, move, move!"_

In the scheme of things, it had been quite a while since Ando had been on a large, open battlefield. It was easy to fall back into after a life of training and refinement, but it was also easy to wish he was back on an urban planet, undercover. He enjoyed those kind of missions.

Ando charged up the field, pistols drawn. The Separatist landing pad in front of their base was mercifully devoid of snow other than the small amount that continued to fall. Blaster bolts ripped all across the field, the strategic depots and entrances guarded by tall crystal structures, the mineral that had claimed so many clones thus far. It was unsuitably beautiful, and unapproachable.

Ando shouted orders over his helmet's link, and troopers charged past him. Waves of droids kept coming.

"Ando!"

Ando's ears perked. It was no trooper's voice.

"Ando!"

The sound was clearer that time. Someone was calling him, a woman's voice that sounded like it was being passed through a helmet's filters, and which was unmistakably familiar.

"Vhe'dn?" Ando spun around, searching for the source of the sound. He immediately caught sight of the familiar t-visor; Vhe'dn was running for him, full tilt across the landing pad, wearing some sort of throw over her armor. His heart leapt into his throat in a slew of conflicting emotions.

"_Vhe'dn!"_ Ando took off for her.

She ran to meet him, unslowed. He caught her by the forearms, feeling much more at ease as he coaxed her to the ground, hidden in relative safety behind a fallen piece of infrastructure.

Vhe'dn wasted no time and embraced him, drawing away as soon as she had begun.

"I missed you..." she said, voice husky.

Her helmet was as welcome a sight as her face, and Ando found himself quickly running his fingertips over the cheek.

"What are you doing here?" he breathed, an unintentional amount of emotion slipping into his tone. "You were supposed to wait at the base."

Vhe'dn snatched his gloved hand from her helmet in her own, squeezing his fingers.

"I know, but I'm a very impatient _sha'buir_ who needed to see you." Her speech was rushed and breathless.

There was an explosion somewhere close enough to throw debris; it peppered loudly against their haphazard cover, and Ando instinctively went to cover Vhe'dn. She pushed him away and they pressed their backs against the wall of the shelter, weapons raised.

"Just like old times, eh?" Vhe'dn said breathlessly, humor laced in her terse voice.

Twisting around, they each fired around opposite sides of the structure, then pressed their backs to it again.

"Yeah," Ando shouted over the noise. "You rushing into danger and me making sure you make it back with all your fingers!"

He heard her laugh.

"And you do such a good job at it; I never liked the old ones anyways." She turned and fired around the edge again.

"Your troops should pull back!" she yelled. "They're getting slaughtered for nothing, and we need you back at the base to plan how to end this!"

"We have to hold the landing pad!" Ando explained, loading a new clip into one of his pistols. "If they can take off with the mineral, we're done!"

"Okay, so what'll give you the time to take a break?" she asked.

"See all those pretty, deadly crystal formations we can't get near, and the depot they are protecting?" he said, jerking his head in the direction indicated.

"Yeah."

"Take that sucker out without turning that crystal to dust and we can leave," he jested, turning to fire around the edge again.

Suddenly and without warning, Vhe'dn sprung up and sprinted across the field, blaster rounds whipping past her. Ando shouted in protest, mentally kicking himself for suggesting something like that to her, but soon had to concentrate his attention on taking out a wave of droids suddenly pushing their way over the top of his shelter. When he looked back, Vhe'dn had disappeared. He told himself not to panic and ran in the same direction, coming to rest next to a group of troopers taking cover behind a ship. One trooper was shaking another, unmoving on the ground.

"He just collapsed, sir!" the trooper yelled.

Ando crouched down and pulled the helmet off the unconscious trooper's head, making sure he hadn't vomited in it. He hadn't, so Ando put the helmet back on and hoisted him over his shoulder with a grunt.

"Did the Mandalorian come past here?" he shouted; the noise was deafening, but he didn't have the man's comm codes; he was part of a different legion.

"She went that way, sir!" the trooper pointed. "Is there a problem?"

The troopers knew the Mandalorians had been hired to help them, but Ando could feel the wariness they all still had toward them.

"No," Ando answered, feeling the need to protect both Vhe'dn's honor and the ease of mind of his men. "She's an army sympathizer, don't worry!"

Ando ran for the edge of the landing pad, feet sinking into the snow when he got to ground. He made for the evac ship, already full of injured and sick troopers. He piled the man on his shoulder in. It was the last ship, but it would have been inhumane to force any more people in.

"Take this one back!" Ando shouted to the pilot. He nodded and began to fire up the ship.

There was suddenly a deafening noise, a combination of metal screaming and flames rolling. Ando spun around to stare as flame and smoke suddenly plumed over the top of the meters tall crystal formation; the depot. His mouth hung open slightly.

Ando ran back across the platform.

"_I want everyone away from there!_" Ando shouted orders across comm channels. "That crystal could still go down!"

He went running past the groups of retreating troops in the opposite direction, searching for Vhe'dn. Smoke rolled out across the pad. Like a miracle, Vhe'dn came running through the fog, rifle aimed behind her, firing into the smoke. She spun to take out the two pursuing droids; then, like a nightmare, Ando saw her catch a bolt full in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards.

"_Vhe!"_ The yell that was torn from his throat could have startled banthas as he went sprinting for her form, raising his blasters to peg off the droids; they were shot to pieces.

There was a loud whistling noise and then an impact on the ground next to him. He was peppered violently, momentarily forced to the ground. Whatever it was hit him so hard as too knock the wind out of him, even with armor on. He heard loud cracks as the debris smacked against his plates. He forced himself back up and ran towards Vhe'dn. She was already pushing herself up from the ground.

"Vhe..." he took her by the elbow, leading her behind a strut for cover, finicking.

She pushed him off.

"_Chill_," she instructed, voice tight. "I've got _armor_, you spaz."

Vhe'dn let the insults fly when she was hyped on adrenaline; he ignored it.

"You're insane..." he laughed breathlessly, taking her by the arm. "Come on; we're going back to base."

Vhe'dn took one step, then suddenly froze, her visor tilted down to look at his stomach.

"_Ando..."_ she breathed.

A gnawing ache suddenly hit Ando around the midsection, and he looked down. Like a slow, horrified dawning, he stared at long, crystalline structures jutted from the left side of his midsection, pierced straight through the armor. The explosion when he was running to Vhe'dn...

The pain suddenly hit him like an Acclamator-class assault ship, his mouth open in a little 'oh' of surprise. He felt his hands go suddenly numb as he stumbled to the ground, Vhe'dn trying to hold onto him so he didn't collapse. He settled against the strut, shocked.

"Oh,_ fierfek_," he murmured.

Vhe'dn was babbling instructions that he couldn't for the life of him make out. Her voice suddenly came through to him in a fog.

"We have to go!" she was shouting. "Get up!"

It was unlike other injuries. He didn't know how deep it was or what it had hit, but it _burned_, his hands were numb to the point that he couldn't move his fingers, and he couldn't hear right or concentrate. Was he in shock? The prospect angered him. That didn't make sense.

Vhe'dn was tugging on his arm, trying to get him to stand.

_"Gedet'ye_, Ando, _moti!"_ She was pleading with him, but he didn't know the words. All he could define was the fear in her voice, and he didn't want it to be there.

Vhe'dn got his arm over her shoulder and stood, attempting to hoist him up. Ando forced himself to stand with her. He could hear someone groaning in pain, grinding the sound into truncated gasps and whimpers; or maybe it was him? Yes, it was him, but it sounded so far away...

Sound and pain came rushing suddenly back to him as they limped across he landing pad together. He tripped and stumbled back to the ground.

"Why does this keep happening?" he gasped, then grit his teeth together against a fit of shakes; oh, it was a _bad_ injury, the kind where you started telling the trooper _it'll be okay_ and _just relax_. Ando knew from experience.

"Can it!" Vhe'dn ordered. "Just concentrate on moving!"

Every forced limp was an excruciating stab as the crystal shifted in his side, but he made himself move. Eventually, he was being handed off to a trooper who could more readily support his weight.

"I'll take him back on the speeder!" Vhe'dn said. "This way!"

Time was a pain-filled blur, and soon he was being piled onto said speeder. He was having a hard time moving his arms; he could feel the muscles tensing uncontrollably, but he managed to hang on, slumped against Vhe'dn as they tore across the tundra back toward the Republic base.

When they finally stumbled into the medical ward, Ando was in a daze. He wasn't sure if it still hurt or not, but he could tell Vhe'dn was screaming angrily for someone to help. They stood around for what seemed an eternity, waiting for someone to respond. The influx of troopers from the evac ship seemed to have caused a huge back up, and nurses and doctors rushed past them with little notice.

Ando could feel sweat beading on his upper lip, and he began to swallow uncontrollably. He knew immediately he was going to be sick. Pushing off Vhe'dn, he tore his helmet off and vomited, his vision honeycombing. He heard Vhe'dn shouting his name as if through a tube as he sank to the ground. He felt her take hold of his shoulders and lean him back, his head lolling onto her chest; he was too weak to lift it. He heard Vhe'dn screaming, and saw a large, dark man running towards them. The knowledge of what was happening to him worked its way into his mind, terrifying him, because a disease was nothing he could shoot, muscle, or talk his way through. He also had an acute sense of disappointment, because Vhe'dn was_ here_, and he wasn't going to be around for it...

The man hoisted him up as if he were a rag doll; he blacked out.

**********

"I need a bacta tank prepped for the lieutenant, and someone needs to see to Racin's blood pressure!" Rooshi shouted orders as she rushed her way to Ando, squeezing in between the swarms of people; all she had to do was follow the man's screams and protests.

She shoved her hands in a sink, washing vigorously.

"What is it?" she asked curtly.

"Multiple stab wounds from the crystallized mineral around the midsection, plus a fair amount of shrapnel that's got to come out," a nurse quickly answered; Ando's well-placed scream told her the same thing.

Rooshi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, feeling ultimate guilt at her sudden wish to never have befriended the man; it was too personal. She made her way to Ando, pulling on gloves. She scowled when she saw the group of Mandalorians huddled around the medtable; what were they doing here?

"Get out of the way!" she ordered gruffly, shouldering her way roughly past.

Ando was half secured to the table, flailing his free arm around angrily, his bare midsection housing a gaping, bloody wound as the nurses attempted to restrain him and pick the mineral shrapnel from it. He slammed his head down onto the hard metal table and screamed as they dug into the raw flesh.

"Give me the tool!" he was shouting laboriously. "_Give me the damn tool_, I'll do it myself!"

He was delirious, that was clear. Rooshi approached and shoved a sharp in his neck; his wild eyes flashed to hers.

"_Painkiller_, Ando!" she explained firmly. "You need to let us do the work."

"No..." he panted, arm falling by his side as the drug worked its way quickly through his system. "No, no, no.... f-... fa-...."

They were desperate, disease-driven little pleas, and Rooshi found herself suddenly out of breath as she worked. She'd never expected this sort of chaos, this sort of suffering and injustice in her work. She was a _doctor_; she'd never planned to get into a _war_. Her vision of her profession just a year ago was incomparable with the shouts and mad movement going on around her from the influx of injured soldiers. As she moved towards Ando with her tools, she was acutely aware of the fact that another trooper would die while she was saving him-

-and it wasn't right. There was always real fear in their identically brown eyes. There was never enough resources to save every man she'd never know.

Damper's voice suddenly pierced her thought process.

"_I know he's here!_ Get out of the way, where is-!"

Damper was suddenly over her shoulder, and she knew it was him, even with his helmet on. He let out a choked little noise as he stared down at Ando, half-conscious on the table.

"You got to save him, Doc, I don't do good as an only child," Damper pleaded, voice toneless as he stumbled two steps back.

Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded callous, but Rooshi could make out the subtle panic in his voice. She looked over at him, overwhelmed, and mistakenly caught the eye of the small, dark-haired Mandalorian woman. For a moment, the sight of a living face on something she knew only as a monster stole her attention, then, slowly, it was the intenseness of her gaze, like she was being indelibly scrutinized and _read._ She broke her gaze away forcibly, disturbed, turning her attention back to Ando. She worked for what felt like minutes, dropping the crystal shrapnel into a bowl that gave a hollow_ ping_ with every piece; in truth, it was only seconds. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the same Mandalorian's hand slowly snake out to take Damper's; he clung to her fingers desperately, and suddenly Rooshi was so bombarded with the confusion and chaos that the harsh, methodological doctor came rushing back like a punch and she snapped into order.

"Can someone get them out of here?" she yelled.

Damper sprung forward. "No-!"

He was cut off as the overwhelmingly large Mandalorian man grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back.

"Time to go," he instructed, grabbing the girl, too.

Damper protested loudly as he was pulled away, but the girl just stumbled once as he took her by the arm, looking torn as she glanced back at Ando, her face frozen in some state of subtle denial. They filed out, and Rooshi took a steadying breath. Ando was still now, babbling incoherent little phrases. Her heart sunk when she saw the dark rings forming around his eyes.

"Hang in there..." she whispered as she went to work.

**********

It was hours later before the medical ward had returned to normal: sick troopers unconscious in beds and injured troopers patched as they could and placed in bacta tanks. Rooshi could feel the exhaustion working its way through her body, telling her that she was going to keel over for the stress should she not sleep. Out of habit and a finicky worry, she checked Racin's vitals once before she left. His fever had risen dramatically due to the chaos he had witnessed earlier. Rooshi scowled as she ran her fingertips over his forehead; they needed more space. They shouldn't have had to operate in the same wing.

Off to check the bacta tanks, she padded into the room and jumped slightly as she saw the same small Mandalorian woman from earlier. Her immediate assumption was that she was trying to sabotage the tanks, but Rooshi paused in the doorway, watching. The woman was talking quietly in a language Rooshi didn't know. She placed a gloved hand against the glass of the tank, and Rooshi suddenly recognized the man inside as Ando. She bristled, ready to confront the Mandalorian, when she suddenly turned and fixed those same, sharp eyes on hers. They stood for a moment, silent. The tanks basked the room in a cool, neutral blue. The visual effect was similar to being underwater.

"What are you doing in here?" Rooshi finally asked, her voice authoritative and even.

"Visiting," the Mandalorian answered calmly, resting her weight on one leg.

"Well, none of the troopers in here are in any condition to talk, so I suggest you find company in your companions," Rooshi said, ice slipping into her tone.

The Mandalorian just rolled her eyes, unimpressed, and turned back to the tank, showing no other signs of hostility.

"There's nothing saying they can't hear me," she said.

"You have no business in here."

"My business is with Ando."

"How..." Rooshi took a few steps into the room. "How did you know his name?"

The Mandalorian crossed her arms over her chest and looked over her shoulder at her, her confident expression infuriating.

"My name's Vhe'dn Oyre," she said simply, "and I'm nothing like what you think I am."

Rooshi's lips parted slightly, and she felt a twinge of anger.

"It doesn't matter what I think," Rooshi snapped.

"Damn straight," Vhe'dn shot back. She looked back to the tank.

Rooshi bit her tongue so she wouldn't say anything she would regret in her anger.

"It matters what the _galaxy_ thinks," Rooshi said slowly.

"The galaxy has thought a lot of things," Vhe'dn mused without turning. "They also think using a cloned, slave army is just_ swell_."

"I know Mandalorians have no love for the Republic," Rooshi said, disgusted, "but don't pretend you care about these men. They're just a paycheck for you."

"They're a paycheck for _you_," Vhe'dn said. She looked over her shoulder again. "Are they not?"

Rooshi fell silent. Vhe'dn nodded and turned back to the tank.

"_You_ care about them, don't you?" Vhe'dn said quietly. "I could tell."

Rooshi was suddenly struck by the fact that she had been coerced into holding a conversation with a savage. Her anger flared.

"Don't act like you know me."

"It's not an _act_."

"I don't want you near these troopers; I don't care what anyone else says, _get out_."

Vhe'dn suddenly chuckled, and it was chilling. She turned to her. "People are so defensive around me; am I really so threatening?"

"This is _my_ wing. I don't need some heartless mercenaries storming the place and screwing everything up. You think I'd _trust_ your kind?"

Vhe'dn shrugged. "I'm an optimistic person."

"I have no qualms with reporting you," Rooshi threatened, staring hard at Vhe'dn.

She snorted. "I have friends in high places."

"You need to get out of here _now_," Rooshi hissed, fuming with frustration.

Vhe'dn suddenly laughed a breathless, bitter little laugh that shook her shoulders. She finally turned to face her fully. Rooshi froze when she saw tears on her cheeks.

"You want to know how I know him?" Vhe'dn said, stepping toward her. Rooshi paced back, suddenly very aware of the weapons the woman was wearing.

"We met seven months ago," Vhe'dn explained, suddenly not toying with her at all. "He captured me and crashed us into a forest. After days in the freezing cold with an ornery ARC, I decided I hadn't had enough and made him my boyfriend."

She pushed past her, moving swiftly down the hall of the ward. Rooshi just stood there for a second, unbelieving, then spun.

"You're lying!"

"Suit yourself," Vhe'dn sang simply, taking a swift curve around the beds and disappearing.

Rooshi rushed over and checked Ando's tank, then ran after her.

"_You're_ the girl he was talking about," Rooshi said as she caught up to her.

Vhe'dn didn't slow. "Probably."

"Tell me what's going on, then."

Vhe'dn stopped suddenly and spun around right by a light. It made her eyes shine orange. She looked very tribal with her short hair and colorfully wrapped tassels, the tattoos and her cranial horns.

"I don't know any more than you," she said, tone muted.

"Prove you know him," Rooshi demanded.

The side of Vhe'dn's mouth opened in an amused little smile. "You always talk to armed people like that?"

"Unless you have a personal vendetta against me, you wouldn't try anything," Rooshi reasoned. "You're in a facility full of troopers and Jedi. You wouldn't make it out."

Vhe'dn raised an eyebrow in approval. "True. Okay; Ando's an ARC lieutenant. He's an excellent medic, can be kind of vain about his hair, and enjoys observing civilians and cultures. He's optimistic and reassuring and smiles like this a lot." She demonstrated, a lopsided, closed-lipped, content little smile that Rooshi recognized instantly. "He's got a pretty strong Concord Dawn accent and got all that scarring on his face from a pipe the first time we ever teamed up. His brothers are Sevets and Damper. He likes drawing."

Rooshi didn't know all of that, but enough was true for her to be moderately convinced.

"Why didn't he tell me?" she asked. "I didn't know that was allowed..."

Rooshi instantly regretted the statement. Vhe'dn scowled slightly, defensive.

"That what was allowed? Love? They're men. They don't need permission."

"I understand what you're saying," Rooshi said gently. "I only meant that rules influence everything else they do. I didn't seem common, so I guess I just assumed that there were regulations against that, too."

"Thank you, by the way."

Rooshi paused. "What?"

"For saving his life," Vhe'dn said; her facial expressions were very difficult to understand. "Thank you."

Rooshi didn't know how to respond. She didn't exactly want to act like she had done it for her.

Vhe'dn laughed softly; noted objectively, she had a pretty smile when she wasn't mocking her. In fact, she was actually very beautiful, and the image seemed very out of place with a...killer.

"I know you're not convinced entirely," Vhe'dn said, that small smile still on her face, "but you can talk to the Jedi, Kael-Shei. He knows me, as does his Padawan. I believe you're already acquainted with Damper?"

Rooshi had a hunch she was toying her about Damper. She said nothing, unsure of what to think.

"You know what my job is?" Vhe'dn said quietly, knowingly. She seemed to have an easy time picking up subtle vibes and emotions. It was somewhat unsettling. "I'm a tech. I work with computers. I make interfaces; operating systems."

The admittance was so docile. It was telling, and it was intended to affect her.

"I'm a Mandalorian, yeah, but that's my job: hacker. We're all different. You know I've never actually killed a person?" Vhe'dn was staring at a trooper in bed over her shoulder, not meeting her eyes anymore. "Maybe been a catalyst for it, maybe injured someone, but pull the trigger? I've never ended a sentient, living being."

Rooshi just stayed silent. She had never even held a blaster before, so Vhe'dn's statement was not so innocent. It wasn't, however, what she was expecting. It didn't make sense from what she knew; _if _she was telling the truth.

Vhe'dn seemed to sense they were done.

"I'll be around, I'm sure," she said, and began to leave. Rooshi glanced at the trooper behind her. It was Sevets. It dawned on her that Vhe'dn had stopped in front of him intentionally.

"You planned on meeting me here tonight, didn't you?" Rooshi's mouth worked without the consent of her better judgment.

Vhe'dn paused halfway through her stride and glanced back at her with an impressed smile on her face.

"Yes."

"My name's Rooshi Xreal."

"I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot more of you," Vhe'dn said, turning back around and continuing her way out. "With recent developments, I'm feeling that the terms of my contract here have changed."

She vanished around the curve of the beds and dividers. Rooshi exhaled hard the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding.


End file.
